The 2024 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings are out: Is Harvard, Yale, or Princeton on top?

The U.S. News Best Colleges have released their 2024 rankings, after having undergone substantial changes in methodology, including the removal of five long-standing criteria and the incorporation of several new parameters.

The methodology changes resulted in significant shifts, particularly among institutions in the middle tier. The rankings for the top-rated colleges, however, remained relatively the same, compared to last year.

Coming out at the number one spot is Princeton University in New Jersey, followed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology at number two. Tied for third place are Harvard University in Massachusetts and Stanford University in California. Yale University in Connecticut finished fifth place.

For 2024, a significant majority of the schools surveyed by U.S. News continued to provide data, while others have opted out. Approximately 80% of the nearly 1,500 ranked institutions submitted their statistical information during the spring and summer of 2023, compared to about 84% in the previous year.

Here’s the list of the highest-ranked schools in their respective categories, according to the 2024 Best Colleges rankings:

National Universities:

• Princeton University in New Jersey (Ranked No. 1)
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Ranked No. 2)
• Harvard University in Massachusetts (Ranked No. 3, tied)
• Stanford University in California (Ranked No. 3, tied)
• Yale University in Connecticut (Ranked No. 5)

National Liberal Arts Colleges:

• Williams College in Massachusetts (Ranked No. 1)
• Amherst College in Massachusetts (Ranked No. 2)
• United States Naval Academy in Maryland (Ranked No. 3)
• Pomona College in California (Ranked No. 4, tied)
• Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania (Ranked No. 4, tied)
• Wellesley College in Massachusetts (Ranked No. 4, tied)